A few days and nights of freezing fog has given our area an appealing makeover, so yesterday I spend an hour or so out with the camera.
Burbage Common was the venue. As you can see we've not had much snow, most of the white crunchy stuff is frost.
The pics are clickable if you want to see bigger versions.
Just one pic from a bunch taken yesterday at the local common.
More later.
A temporary respite from the widespread sub-zero conditions is forecast for the weekend.
Coniston beckons.
A small group of (fool?)hardy folk is planning to answer the call, all we need is a clear route there and back.
And beer-money, of course.
Just hopping onto the bandwagon that started out as Maz's "My First Aid Kit" blog-post...
So, what's in the totally-waterproof 1litre Soup 'n Sauce bag?
And what's missing that's usually there but isn't?
Total weight when fully-stocked, including the bag, is 360g. Ok, so it's a bit heavy when compared to some of the lightweight versions out there, but bear in mind that I carry this kit whether I'm walking solo or in a group. Some of the tiny kits are obviously for solo use only, mine has to cope with the demands of a family with kids.
What is it about sub-zero conditions that turns drivers into feckwits? Shortly after reading Mike's post about driving in snow and ice, I went out for a short but eventful walk into town to purchase some goodies from Tesco. We've had hardly any snow here, the roads are fairly clear but that which has fallen is now iced. Slippage wasn't a problem for me - the AKU Crodas with traction control coped with ease. For others, it was a different matter...
The fun began while I attempted the traverse of the North Face of Tesco car-park, heading for the safety of the col at the cash-machine. There are clearly-marked direction arrows and give-way marks painted on the ground, and adequate signage, to let drivers know that it's a one-way system. This system serves several purposes - for starters it eases of the flow of vehicles along the narrow lanes between the parked vehicles, furthermore it makes the place safer for pedestrians (after all, the car-park is a pedestrian area).
So, there I was crossing the tarmac when a car turns the corner, contrary to the one-way system, and heads directly towards me. I wasn't too chuffed. I waved at the driver and pointed to the arrows on the road. His response was a two-fingered greeting. As I passed his window, I said "It's a one-way system, Sir." The response was "F*ck off!" so I did - on Sundays I can do without the hassle. He drove off, clipping my shopping-bag and scattering pedestrians in his wake.
Not 20 yards further on, the same thing happened again, this time with a wannabe rally-driver in a Scooby. Same set of responses. This time, I didn't "F*ck off", I told the bloke that he was in a pedestrian area and that, driving like he was and in such conditions, an accident was on the cards. He called me a c*nt and put his foot down, I turned and headed on my way.
Seconds later I heard the bang, the crunch and the cursing. He'd run into another car. I couldn't see which one from where I was, but I remember laughing rather too loudly and hoping that he'd ran into the first feckwit that I'd encountered. "Who's the c*nt now?", I thought.
Sweet justice.
This multi-family hostelling malarkey is becoming a habit - first it was Windermere YHA, next it was Buttermere YHA. We'll complete the hat-trick during the Easter holidays when we stay at Borrowdale YHA for three nights. Trefor, the Hostel's Management Hero, has agreed to let us pay with Tesco Clubcard Rewards Tokens and that is going to save us a small fortune (family rooms are £66 a night, so we're looking at using £47.50-worth of Vouchers to get £190-worth of Tokens, the remainder we'll pay in cash). Thanks, Trefor!
Just a quick note here - if you've a mind to use your Tesco Clubcard Vouchers for this sort of thing, be aware that the current exchange-rate of 4:1 changes to a less-favourable 3:1 on December 6th 2010 so get your exchanges done pronto. Tokens have a shelf-life of six months so they're worth getting now if you're going to use them during the first bit of next year.
Anyway, we've yet to discuss objectives and we're mindful that a lot will depend on the weather and on the mind-set of the kids in our group, but the environs of Borrowdale offer so much and at so many different levels of ability that we shouldn't be stuck for choice. A couple of options that I'll chuck into the mix are a short bimble up Rosthwaite Fell with a possible extension to Glaramara and maybe even as far as Allen Crags, and a trudge up to Styhead Tarn with the possibility of a pull up to Great Gable. Both of these offer superb adventures for budding young fell-walkers, letting them get into the real mountains and putting some rock beneath their boots. Then there's the knot of lower fells around Watendlath where I've spent many a happy afternoon - I could let the others wander the fine network of paths there for a few hours while I try to tease a few trout out of the tarn.
Hopefully it'll be a bit drier than the last time I stayed at Borrowdale...
